I've been riding for a relatively short time compared to some of you, but long enough to have owned a number of motorcycles.

One thing I have never been is a brand snob. I refuse to ride a motorcycle simply because of the brand painted on the tank.

But what I discovered is that I have identified with one particular brand more than others. It hit me as I updated my personal website recently. "Dang, I've owned more Kawasaki motorcycles than anything else".

When I stopped to think about why I selected the motorcycles I've owned, some were out of pure lust for a particular bike and some were choices made by logic. Interestingly, none of the four Kawasaki products I purchased was out of pure brand lust. They were all a product of, "Hey, this is a damn fine motorcycle for the money". I lost my beloved 1125CR to the great Nashville flood of 2010. If Buell had not been shut down, I'd more than likely still be riding one. I really loved them. They were like a faithful dog wagging it's tail when you get home. Just made you feel good.

The antique BMW was a mistake...I learned that vintage bikes belong in museums and should never be ridden on a public road and you should never race a clapped out Nissan Sentra on an R60...you'll lose. The other BMW's were great bikes. I pitched the RT 150ft down the Cherohala Skyway and the GS developed a nasty issue of carboning up the heads (even though I rode the snot out of it). I loved the bike though. Just don't race a Dodge Neon, you'll lose. :huh

Best visceral experience...Ducati. Hands down. The sound of that bike alone made my hair stand on end, and it's the only bike that caused a woman to hit on me (and I'm UGLY, so trust me, it was the bike).

The FJR was a fantastic bike, but my riding skill grew past the capability of the bike. I knew this when I was beveling the edges of the mufflers in the turns enough to lever the rear wheel off the ground....on a 600+lb bike. :eek1

The Gixxer was a track whore and I seldom rode it on the street.

The Goldwing...oh boy, another mistake. The wife said she'd ride with me if I got one. She went on two rides. Nice bike, but not my cup of tea.

I know I am not the only one who finds themselves in the position of gravitating toward one particular brand of bike for one reason or another? I'm more intrigued with why I ended up that way.

What about you guys? (and yes, this is my "it's too damn cold to ride" thread)

I was a Yamaha guy, until I bought a KTM, a Honda and a Kawasaki. Now I'm a KTM guy.

Begin: YZ125
200XC replaces 125, never ride 125 again
XR600R, which I treat as a street bike
KLR650 to ease the road duty of the 600
Now that the 600 is a dirt bike with plate, it gets abused even more
450EXC replaces XR600, never ride XR again
250XC replaces 200, Brother rode the 200 once since then
Add a Beta Trials bike

Somehow the XR600 is the only one to have been sold though. The YZ, 200 and KLR need to go away. Not sure what to replace the KLR with, maybe a V-Strom, maybe nothing.

The OP said snob, not bottom-feeding poser, which other than
a few Hollywood types or the late Malcolm Forbes ( all of whom are outliers
in terms of who the core customers of Harley really are ) are the sort who ride
Harleys.

But this poll is flawed anyway. The absence of bikes like MV Agusta,
Velocette, Norton, Ducati, etc. makes it like a poll which asks which
whether Budweiser or PBR is better. And the answer is that they all
are mediocre but if you want a ride and it's all you can afford
they are just fine because it is the ride that matters, not the bike.

The OP said snob, not bottom-feeding poser, which other than
a few Hollywood types or the late Malcolm Forbes are the sort
who ride Harleys.

But this poll is flawed anyway. The absence of bikes like MV Agusta,
Velocette, Norton, Ducati, etc. makes it like a poll which asks which
domestic beer you think is best, when the truth is that they are all
horse piss.

I have owned five Hondas, a Suzuki and a Yamaha, ail second hand, none costing more than about $US 1,000.

I bought my first motorcycle in 1975, and have continuously owned at least one since then. Obviously. I keep bikes for quite a while; they are cheap transport for me, not an expensive hobby! I started riding as a kid on a Honda farm bike in 1966.

It is not out of brand loyalty that I have owned mainly Hondas. They just fitted my needs and budget, and were available when I was looking for a bike.

I've owned Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, BMW, Triumph, Moto Guzzi, and Buell with multiples of all but BMW. But I've owned more H-Ds (seven so far) than any other brand. This is all over a span of 52 years of riding. I can find something to like in any bike, but the Harley and Guzzi (aka Italian Harley) v-twins have always been the bikes I enjoy riding the most.

My latest bike is a KTM and its hard not to love those for enduro riding (i know its not street riding).

The only brand I have issue with is Honda. Unless I got the deal of the century I dont ever think I will own one. And even then Id probably just flip it. Im not even sure why I dont like them, I have no rational reason. Yet they just rub me the wrong way.

The only brand I have issue with is Honda. Unless I got the deal of the century I dont ever think I will own one. And even then Id probably just flip it. Im not even sure why I dont like them, I have no rational reason. Yet they just rub me the wrong way.

Click to expand...

Understand completely. The RC51 was the last Honda that was even remotely interesting. They are just....dull ....to me I guess.

I've had upwards of 42 bikes, I tried to count the ones that I've owned, but every now and then, I remember one I forgot.

I would guess Hondas are what I've owned the most of, and probably put the most miles on. I'm not real brand conscious or specific, I'll ride whatever, and I'm pretty compulsive, actually, obsessive/compulsive, I'll obsess for a bit on something, like that 950 KTM Supermoto I've got right now, and then I'll buy it, same with the XR75 I bought last week, something I wanted when I was a kid and couldn't buy back then, saw one a while back, obsessed a bit, bought it.

I don't get attached. Just another toy, hopefully, in a year or a week or 2 months or whatever, if I get bored with it, I can get more or less what I paid for it. Right now, I'm obsessing Tuono V4. We'll see what this obsession brings.